Girl dies after drinking boiling water through straw

A FLORIDA girl has died after she was injured months ago on a dare from her cousin to drink boiling water through a straw.

Ki'ari Pope, 8, suffered medical problems since March when she burned her throat and mouth upon performing the dare, the Palm Beach Post reported.

The Boynton Beach girl, who had undergone a tracheotomy, reportedly said that she couldn't breathe Sunday night before becoming unresponsive.

She was taken to a local hospital where she was pronounced dead at 12:15 a.m. Monday.

Authorities investigated the March incident, which left Pope deaf and with chronic respiratory issues, as well as at least nine other allegations of abuse or neglect in her life.

The investigation into the dare determined that Pope had been "medically compromised," according to the Palm Beach Post.

Officials said they also plan to probe her death.

"We have opened a child death investigation to examine the circumstances surrounding her death and will deploy a Critical Incident Rapid Response Team to review all interactions this family has had with Florida's child welfare system," said Mike Carroll, secretary of Florida Department of Children and Families.